“What’s drama got to do with it? Theater’s role in defending democracy”
Oskar Eustis is Artistic Director of The Public Theater in New York City and has worked as a director, dramaturg, and artistic director for theaters around the country. In recent years, he has produced two Tony Award-winning productions in the category of best musical (Fun Home and Hamilton), as well as two productions that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (Hamilton and Sweat).
Prior to taking the helm at The Public in 2005, Eustis enjoyed a storied career that began at the Eureka Theatre Company in San Francisco (1986–89), where he commissioned Tony Kushner’s Angels in America and directed its world premiere. At The Public, Eustis directed the New York premieres of Rinne Groff’s Compulsion and The Ruby Sunrise; Larry Wright’s The Human Scale; Julius Caesar; Public Works Twelfth Night at Shakespeare in the Park, and Suzan-Lori Parks’ White Noise.
Additionally, he has founded numerous groundbreaking programs at The Public, including Public Works, Public Forum, the Emerging Writers Group, and the Mobile Unit. He has taught at Cornell University, UCLA, Brown University, and NYU, and holds honorary doctorates from Brown University and Rhode Island College.